


Clear Things Up

by CJ1027



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 14:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ1027/pseuds/CJ1027
Summary: AU MUGGLE MODERN DAY -- SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL: Lily clears some things up for James at Sirius's back-to-school party.





	Clear Things Up

“Lily, you look fine,” groaned Mary. “Now stop hogging the mirror.”

But Lily didn’t move her feet at all. Instead, she continued to put her hair up and then back down. Just as she was putting it back up again, Mary groaned again. “James likes it better when you have it down.”

She released her hands from her hair, and as it fell back to her shoulders she turned to look at Mary. “How would you know?” Wincing at herself even asking such a question, she said, “Er, I mean…why do I care what Potter thinks about my hair?”

Mary rolled her eyes and fell back on her bed. “You think you’re slick, Lil, but you’re just about as obvious as he is at this point.”

Lily put her head in her hands. “I know. I’m a _mess_.”

Sirius Black, a classmate and friend of theirs and James Potter’s best mate, was throwing an early back-to-school party at the flat he inherited from his uncle. It was going to be her first time seeing James all summer, seeing as he and Sirius were on some backpacking trip with the Potters. And considering the fact that she was harboring unexpected, intense romantic feelings for him for the past nine months or so, like a goddamn baby, the weight of it was starting to drive her mad.

“Not a mess, per say,” said Mary, stretching. “Just a slightly disheveled basket case.”

“Wow, thanks,” murmured Lily as she walked to Mary’s bed and lied down alongside her. “Mirror’s all yours. I’m hopeless.”

Mary snorted as she got out of the bed and went to her mirror to finish applying her make up.

Some silence passed and then Lily asked, “Are you sure I shouldn’t have just RSVP’d to the party on Facebook?”

“We’ve been over this.”

“But I just don’t understand why _you’re_ allowed to RSVP and I’m not.”

“I already told you—“

“What if because of my RSVP Sirius lacks supplies or food to satisfy everyone?”

“I’m going to smack you.”

“For Sirius’s sake, really, I should just—“

“Oh my God, Lily, you are insufferable,” said Mary, turning around briefly. “Sirius _knows_ you’re coming.”

“How so?”

“I told him, nitwit.”

“Well,” Lily started, feeling her face heat up. “Maybe some _other_ people are curious as to my attendance or lack thereof.”

“Again, Lil,” laughed Mary. “Transparent.”

“Again, Mare,” she groaned. “Help. Me.”

Mary put her lipstick down and walked back over to her best friend, a slightly disheveled basket case sprawled across her bed. She patted her hair. “There, there. It’ll be alright.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“You’re not RSVPing because keeping James in the dark is good strategy. Sirius is in on it, he agreed that if James asks if you’re attending he’s just gonna shrug and be all like, ‘Not sure, mate. Guess we’ll see, eh?’ Which will _absolutely_ drive James spare. It’s pretty brill.”

Lily made a sound of disapproval. “I’m not sure that makes much sense.”

“Sweet, naïve Lily,” laughed Mary, like she had it all figured out. “It makes complete sense. If he knew you were going, he’d be able to mentally prepare. But the unknown is like torture to James Potter, and it’ll catch him off guard. Got to get the blokes at their weakest and then they’re right where you want them.”

“And where exactly do you believe I want Potter, hm?”

“Right on top of your person,” she snorted. She waited for Lily to deny it, but alas, a denial never arrived. “Wow, you’re not even fighting me. It’s that bad, huh?”

Lily nodded, covering her eyes with her forearm. “When did this even happen? How? I never allowed this!”

Mary chuckled, sitting down next to Lily and stroking her hair. “Sometimes we don’t get a say in such matters,” she told her gently. “Just happens. The heart’s got a mind of its own.”

Lily moved her head into Mary’s lap. “Blokes are _rubbish_. Feelings are rubbish. Everything is rubbish.”

“Alright, Lil, with the melodrama,” Mary said, then smiled. “Maybe you really _are_ made for James. You’re almost as dramatic as he is.”

“I don’t want to talk about that mental tosser anymore,” Lily moaned. “Go finish your makeup and let me stew in my misery.”

“Wow, you really are giving him a run for his money,” Mary replied as she stood up and returned to her vanity. “Sirius would be so proud.”

* * *

 

Of course, James was the one to open the door. Lily had to admit: the look on James’s face was evidence enough that Mary and Sirius may really have had a method to their madness after all. As he first opened the door, there was clear anxiousness in his face. As his eyes met Lily’s, he looked completely frazzled for a few seconds, as if he almost couldn’t believe it were true. “Hello, James,” Mary said, breaking the silence. She patted his shoulder and walked past him into Sirius’s flat.

Still looking at her like she was a figment of his imagination, Lily cleared her throat. “Er, hello. James.”

It was his first name coming out of her mouth that snapped him out of it. Suddenly, his face split into a dazzling smile. Lily felt her stomach drop. “Lily,” was what he said as he moved forward and brought her into a crushing hug. She held herself back from sighing in his arms.

They stood there silently hugging for a few moments before Lily forced herself to untangle her limbs from his. Lily smiled nervously as James searched her face. Eventually, he broke the silence. “You look brilliant.”

Trying to ignore the feeling of heat rising in her cheeks, she smiled a bit wider. “Thank you,” she replied. She considered complimenting him back, but thought maybe she’d save that for when she was a little braver. “Let’s go in, yeah?”

James opened the door wider, leaving ample room for her to walk through. “Oh, right, of course,” James sputtered sheepishly. As she walked past him, for just the slightest moment, she put her hand on his arm, and as fast as it had touched him it was gone.

Lily didn’t wait for James, rather she decided to follow this deluded little plan of Mary’s, since the first part seemed to work. She walked over to her best friend, who was chatting with Sirius in hushed tones.

“Quick, Lil,” Mary whispered, pulling her arm and forcing her to join their little huddle. “Sirius was just giving me the report on how Phase One of our plan went. Recap for her, Black, before the target comes this way.”

“He _is_ coming this way,” Lily told them, teeth gritted.

“Evans!” said Sirius loudly and suddenly, pulling her in for a hug, and then as he pulled away, planted a kiss on her cheek. “How lovely to see you! You get more beautiful every summer, don’t you know?”

“Er, thanks, Sirius,” Lily replied, but raised her eyebrows, silently asking, _What are you doing?_

Lily turned to see James watching them carefully as he sauntered over.

“Nice touch,” Mary muttered. “Not part of the plan, but nice touch.”

Sirius winked at Mary, then turned back to Lily and put his arm around her. Just as James approached, looking quizzically at his best mate, Sirius turned Lily away from him, steering her towards the kitchen. “C’mon, Evans, Remus will be ecstatic to see you. He wants to catch up on some nerd matters with you.”

As they were walking away, Lily heard Mary ask James , “What is that best mate of yours up to now?”

Sneaky. Real sneaky. 

“Hell if I know,” was the last thing Lily heard him say as they entered the kitchen.

Sirius snorted as he unwrapped his arm from Lily’s shoulders. “Nice touch from Macdonald as well,” he said. Then he looked at Lily, who was still trying her best not to blush. “You really do look beautiful,” Sirius said casually. “James seemed dazed. The plan is going swimmingly.”

“Thanks,” she replied, smiling. “You look great, too, Sirius. Now can you explain more to me about this plan, please? Since I’m a main chess piece in it and all?”

“Oh, a chess analogy! That’s a good way to explain it,” he said, leaning against the counter. “You’re the king, right? So James would be the queen, trying to get out to you. And, er, Mary and I would probably be knights? Maybe rooks… Whatever, we’re important pieces, ensuring the safety of the king, etcetera.”

“But wouldn’t your job be to protect me? Not leave me exposed to the queen?” Lily questioned.

Sirius groaned, rolling his eyes at her. “Stop getting caught up on technicalities. We’re doing both. You get the point.”

“Not really.”

“Well, Phase One was to have James lose sleep over whether you were coming to this little shindig. Phase Two is to make you seem incredibly busy and popular among every one else at the party, sort of like you forgot he was even here.”

“I’m not sure I like Phase Two,” said Lily, feeling her entire body heat up as she spoke truthfully, “How can I forget he’s here? I haven’t seen or spoken to him in so long—”

“Wow,” Sirius laughed, crossing his arms. “Mary said you were just as barmy as James, but I didn’t believe it.”

“Shut _up_ , Black,” she said, pushing his shoulder.

“Just trust the phases,” said Sirius. “It’s working so far, no?”

“I suppose, but…”

“Hush,” ordered Sirius. “Then Phase Three will be by the end of the party to let James and Lily do all the flirting they got to do until one of them has the balls enough to initiate Phase Four.”

Lily sighed. “Which is…?”

“Shagging, of course,” answered Sirius.

“SHAGGING?” Lily half shouted, half laughed. “Are you mental?”

“Alright, alright! Snogging then, I suppose. And wherever snogging leads to, alright?”

“Shagging?” someone said suddenly. It was Remus, looking worn out but content. He walked up next to Lily. “Who’s shagging?”

“Lily and James,” said Sirius.

“Oh, alright,” said Remus. “I thought that was a bit faster than your usual speed, Lily, but if you and James are ready—“

“Oh my god, not you too, Remus,” she groaned, looking desperately at her friend.

He laughed, pulling her in for a side-hug. “Just kidding, Lily,” he said.

* * *

 

It was very difficult for Lily to avoid James throughout the night. Not only was he constantly seeking her out, but she was subconsciously seeking him out as well. They shared a lot of glances and giddy smiles from across the room. Every time he was about to walk over, and she would’ve gladly met him in the middle, Sirius or Mary either pulled her away or brought someone else to her to talk to.

One particularly conniving move was Mary beckoning Benjy Fenwick over to their little conversation. Benjy, who has gone on approximately three Hogsmeade dates with Lily in the past, and has snogged her on two of those occasions. Lily knew that James knew this anyway, but had she not, the look on his face as Benjy casually threw an arm around Lily would’ve told her all she needed to know. She waited a few moments and then strategically shimmied her way out of his grasp and decided enough was enough. When she turned her head to find James, he was gone.

She politely continued conversation for the next fifteen minutes, but then decided she was fed up with Sirius and Mary’s little game. She knew what she wanted and she was going to get it.

That was, until Sirius stood in front of her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To speak with James,” said Lily firmly. “Now, could you please move out of my way?”

“But Phase Two is working perfectly! And we’re not even two hours into the party…Phase Three isn’t supposed to begin until the last hour!”

“You’re his best mate, Sirius,” said Lily, agitated. “Benjy Fenwick? Really? That was low, even for you.”

“It was Macdonald’s idea! I just—“

“Just move, Sirius.”

“Evans—“

“No. I’m taking matters into my own hands. My plan is better than yours. Now, excuse me,” she said, pushing past him and walking purposely down the hallway.

There were only a few people standing round the hallway, but James wasn’t one of them. She saw a bedroom door slightly ajar. She walked in, but still she didn’t see him. After a moment she realized the door to the terrace was open as well, and through the screen door she could see his silhouette.

Feeling both nervous and excited, she put her purse down on the floor, strode over and opened the screen door. The creek of the hinges made James turn around and look at her. He was holding a drink in one hand, his hair was all over the place, and his glasses were askew. Lily felt her heart thump against her chest with an urgent violence. James’s face was mixed with emotions. He gave her a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hey. Mind if I join you?” she asked.

James shook his head, and then resumed looking out over the village. Lily walked up next to him, leaning her hands against the railing. Lily mustered up as much courage as she could. “I was wondering where you went.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, without looking at her.

“You disappeared,” she responded. “From the party, I mean. And I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to you all night.”

“Er, sorry,” James replied, still not looking at her but using a hand to ruffle his hair. A few moments of silence passed before he said, “I wanted to talk to you, too. You just seemed pretty busy, and I didn’t want to bother you—“

“I wanted to talk to you, though. Why would you think you’d be bothering me?”

James finally turned his face to look at her, and he had that same lackluster grin on his face. “Oh, I don’t know. Considering you’ve shouted in my face the words, ‘You make me sick,’ multiple times. I know I’m bad at taking the hint but I’ve been trying.”

“Well, you do, make me sick, that is,” Lily answered, smiling at him. “Maybe I like being sick.”

James didn’t take the hint then, either, as he went back to staring into the distance. “Besides, you seemed pretty cozy with Fenwick.”

Lily wanted to yell at him that he’s a completely clueless imbecile, but words failed her. They stood there in silence for a few moments again, until Lily finally found her voice. “Well, I wasn’t. I was rather uncomfortable, actually.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“Well.”

Then, James took multiple large gulps of his drink.

“Holy shit, Potter, what the hell is in there?”

He laughed, then finally looked back at her. “Pop.”

“With vodka?”

“No.”

“No? Since when does James Potter abstain from drinking at parties?”

“Not often,” he told her. “But I wanted to be in a right state tonight.”

“Why?” she asked, knowing the answer, though it never came.

Instead, James said, “Coke or Pepsi?”

“Huh?”

“Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?” he asked, seriously.

“Er, why?”

“Evans,” he sighed. “This is vital information. I don’t think I can associate with you if you answer wrong.”

“Jesus,” she muttered, holding back a laugh at the seriousness in his voice. “Well, Coke, obviously.”

James sighed in relief. “Thank God. I was so worried,” he said, and then took one last sip of his cup before putting it down.

“Glad to know we can still associate with one another.”

“Me too. Otherwise I was going to have to get my lawyer involved to make arrangements, which really would’ve been such a hassle,” said James, his tone and facial expressions returning to his more pleasant and playful nature.

“It probably would have been easier to convince me that Coke is better, since Pepsi is such shit.”

James laughed at that, a sincere, heart-warming laugh. “Too bad you’re the most stubborn bird I’ve ever met, you’d probably just keep defending Pepsi out of spite.”

“Oh, I’m stubborn? Have you met you?”

“I have,” James said proudly. “And I’m pretty bloody brilliant.”

Lily rolled her eyes and shoved him at that. This time, she looked out over the terrace, but she could feel James’s eyes on her. She waited for him to do something.

And then he said, “I missed you. This summer, I mean. I would have texted you- I mean, I _wanted_ to. But we just got back from France five days ago, and since we were camping so much we barely had service on the trip, anyway… But even when we did we didn’t have an international plan—“

“And you’re an Android user, so it’s not like we could have iMessaged for free—“

“I knew you were going to throw that in my face—“

“I mean, Coke versus Pepsi is an important argument, I agree completely. But Android versus iPhone? It might just be the most vital conflict we face in our society today—“

“Evans, how many times do I have to _tell_ you that Apple is just a corrupt—“

“Talk about disassociating. Psh! _I_ should get in touch with _my_ lawyers!”

And just like that, they were back to their usual rhythm.

James and Lily caught each other up on their summers. James told stories of shenanigans that he and Sirius got up to in different European countries. Lily told stories about her internship working for a publishing company. James talked about sights they had seen. Lily talked about fights with Petunia. James confided in her about his parents’ fragility. Lily told funny anecdotes of her and Mary trying to get into different pubs to lighten the mood. They were both laughing so hard at some points they couldn’t breathe.

After an hour of conversation, they had gravitated closer towards each other. James’s hand rested on Lily’s, and she didn’t move away.

At least, not until Sirius and Mary opened the screen door.

Lily jumped back, putting her hand that was previously under James’s to her chest. “Holy shit, warn a woman, won’t you?”

“Sorry,” said Mary, smiling mischievously. She definitely was not sorry at all. “We just had no fucking clue where you guys were.”

“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” said Sirius, chuckling. “Be safe, you crazy kids.”

“We’re not—“ started James, his cheeks glowing a bit with pink. “I mean, we were just—“

“C’mon, Sirius,” said Mary, grabbing his arm. “Remus is probably trapped right now by Cindy, and we should really help him out. He looked like he wanted to die.”

“Alright,” Sirius complied, closing the screen door behind them. “But remember what I said about protection!” he shouted as Mary further dragged him out of the bedroom.

Lily heard James laugh and say, “Sorry about him,” and felt her face burning as she watched Sirius and Mary disappear from sight. She heard James shuffle awkwardly, putting his hands on the railing, tapping his fingers along the cool metal. “Alright, Evans?”

She turned to look at him. And she’s not sure exactly what motivated her; maybe it was the look in his eyes, or the moonlight shining down on them, or the way Sirius and Mary had just interrupted a moment that was building up all night and she was angry at them for ruining it. But after a few moments, she stood close to James again, took one of his hands from the railing and intertwined her fingers with his. “Yeah,” she finally answered. “You?”

He squeezed her hand, and his face seemed all flustered for a moment, but then it all kind of cleared, seeming focused and sure. “Yeah,” he replied. “Perfect.”

They both turned to the sky, holding each other’s hand like a lifeline. A few minutes of silence passed when James whispered, “Lily?”

“Hm?” she answered quietly, turning her face to his.

He breathed heavily, squeezing her hand tighter. He seemed nervous. “Why have you spent the past hour out here with me instead of inside at the party?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she retorted.

“But…why?” he asked, sounding so innocent.

“Because I wanted to.” She stroked her thumb across the back of his hand.

James laughed nervously. “I’m sorry, I’m…I think I’m just…confused.”

She had never heard James Potter this nervous in her life. She felt her heart swell at the look on his face, and the glint of doubt in his eye. And she felt a surge of courage, and she knew she needed to follow it. Enough was enough.

She let go of his hand. “Maybe this will clear things up,” Lily said, and then, she put both of her hands behind James’s neck, pushed herself up a bit from the balls of her feet, and kissed him.

She pressed her lips against his, pushing her body closer to him; but his hands never snuck around her waist, and his lips didn’t even move under hers.

Lily felt like her systems were failing. She slowly pulled away, saw his stunned face, then took a step back and held her own hands in front of her body. She looked down at her feet, ashamed. “Shit,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, James, I…” She was going to cry right there if she kept talking, so she clamped her mouth shut.

She felt him step closer to her again but didn’t dare to look up. “Lily,” he said, his voice raspy. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. Then, she felt his finger under her chin, lifting her face up to look at him. She opened her eyes and he was smiling, his eyes wide and wild, and before she could question the shift, both of his hands were on her face, and he was crushing his lips against hers.

He sighed against her mouth, and her entire body restarted with a lightning strike as she kissed him back, grasping the sides of his shirt, begging to be closer. He let go of her face and put one hand on her back, one in her hair as he opened his mouth and their tongues met, both of them sighing contently against each other. She brought her hands back to the base of his neck as he deepened the kiss, gently threading her fingers through his hair.

And they stood there out on the balcony for a while, kissing frantically, their hands almost never staying in just one place for too long. There wasn’t enough of each other to have. At one point, James pushed Lily’s body against the screen door, kissing her neck, and then Lily yelped a little as James opened the door, their bodies stumbling in together. James laughed at Lily’s reaction, holding her as he walked them a few steps in together. “You scared the shit out of me, James,” she said, breathing heavily.

“I’m full of surprises,” he breathed, before returning his mouth to hers as fast as he could, inching them towards the bed in the room.

Lily willed herself to pull her mouth away from his. “Er, isn’t this Sirius’s room? Maybe we should—“

“It’s mine,” he answered dreamily, kissing her cheek, moving his lips down to her jaw.

“Yours?” Lily asked breathlessly. “I don’t—“

“Spare room,” James said against her, his hands playing softly on her lower back under her shirt. “For me. Sirius has lived with my family for a year—you know that – and he promised me the spare room. Said he owed me that much.”

“That’s sweet,” Lily said. “You haven’t really decorated it much, though, have you? I mean—“

James interrupted her with a kiss, and, _damn, was he a bloody good kisser_ , but she forced herself to pull away again. “James.”

“I thought you were clearing things up for me,” he said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m still a bit foggy. Let’s continue. I still think we have a lot more clearing up to do,” he smiled, moving his mouth back to her neck.

Lily relinquished the fight in her, allowing herself to sit in this overwhelming wonder, holding back the moan building in the back of her throat. They stood there, wrapped up for multiple minutes in each other, but it felt too soon when James slowly stopped kissing her. In fact, he let go of her completely.

“What…” she murmured, thoroughly flustered. “Where are you—“

“Sh,” he said, walking around the bed towards the door. He closed it shut quietly and locked it. Then he turned back to her, wiggling his eyebrows a bit, making Lily snort. He sat down on the bed and kicked off his trainers. He patted the empty spot next to him. “Sit,” he ordered.

Lily obliged, laughing quietly as she imitated James and kicked off her own shoes. The nervous, wary James was long gone; the overly confident one had made his comeback. But she liked this James. She liked every version of him.

She was prepared for him to swoop back in hot and heavy immediately as he placed his hands on her cheeks again, but his hands were gentle, and so was his kiss, which only lasted a few short moments. He kept one hand on her cheek, used the other hand to stroke her hair softly. “Lily,” he started. “God… You have no idea just how bloody much I’ve…” he trailed off for a second, sighing. “I’ve been crazy about you for _years_ , Evans. If you only _knew_ how I felt—“

“I know,” she said, sighing happily. “James, I…I haven’t stopped thinking about you in…I mean, I’ve lost track, honestly.”

James’s smile was bright as he gently swiped his thumb alongside her cheek. “It feels so good to hear you say that,” he said. “But you really don’t know, though. “

“So tell me.”

A mischievous twinkle glinted in James’s eyes. “I think I’d do a much better job at _showing_ you—“

“No,” she said firmly, pushing him away from her.

“Actions speak louder than words?”

Lily smacked his chest. “Stop being a smartarse.”

“I can’t help it that my arse is just so bloody brilliant, Lil.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he tried grabbing her face again but Lily swatted his hands away. “James.”

“Lily.”

“C’mon.”

“I know you want to kiss me again,” he stated. “Fuck, Evans, do you understand how long I’ve waited to do that?”

“I _would_ understand if you just told me!” Lily retorted, crossing her arms. “Especially if you want to do it again. Got it, git?”

“You were all too happy to snog me just moments ago—“

“Well, that was in the past. Stick with me in the present, alright? I’d like to talk this out now.”

James fell down flat on his back against the mattress with a sigh. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Start from the beginning.”

James laughed hollowly. “You want me to start from grade eight?”

Lily felt her insides roll over. “Er, I guess you don’t have to start _there_ …maybe—“

“No, you know what? I will,” he said, shooting back up to face her again. Lily could tell James wanted to hold her hands, but she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, so she continued to hug her own body. “Remember that day on the field trip with Mr. Flitwick to go see that play? We sat next to each other.”

She did remember, in fact; but mostly because Severus was on her other side, bursting a blood vessel that James Potter was so close to him, and even closer to her. It didn’t help that Sirius and James made some snotty remark about him right as they sat down. “Vaguely,” Lily responds, biting her lip.

James looks down at his own lap. “I remember I thought the play was _dead_ boring. Sirius was practically snoring the entire time. I’m pretty sure your old pal Snape—sorry, it’s a sore subject still, I know—was on his phone most of the time. No?”

Lily nodded shortly, feeling a lump in her throat at the mention of Sev. “Right.”

“And I don’t remember the plot much or any of the characters, I just remember wisps and colors, but I remember it had some sort of happy ending. Everyone stood up when the play ended, waiting to rush out, and I remember glancing over at you, still glued to your seat, and you were crying.”

Lily felt herself blush. “You saw that?”

He looked up and nodded. “And I remember, Snape turned to you and asked you what was wrong. And you said nothing was wrong, you just really loved the ending, and it made you happy. Snape sputtered something idiotic like, ‘Then why the hell are you crying?’ and walked away without waiting for you. And you sat there for a few more long moments before you collected yourself and caught up to the rest of the class. I may have lagged behind a bit to keep an eye out on you.”

Lily looked at him curiously, aching to reach out and touch him again at the softness in his voice. “Why do you remember that?”

“Because. I just…I thought it was sweet- it was so _you_. Of course Lily Evans would be crying because of how happy the ending of a story was. And I thought: we need more people like her. And I just remember looking at you… Your eyes looked _so_ green… Something in my heart snapped into place that day, and I’ve been hooked since,” he concluded the story, smiling softly. Lily slowly unwrapped her arms from her own body, and James started to speak again. “And then in grade nine, you were in my geometry class, and we—“

Lily wasted no more time. She grabbed him by his collar and crashed his mouth back against hers, throwing herself into the kiss, feeling her heart jump in her throat as he put his hands in her hair, a soft rumble of laughter beneath his lips. “I thought you wanted to hear it all? I barely broke the ice!”

“Actions speak louder than words,” she mimicked, kissing him forcefully as he laughed again. “Stop laughing! I’m _trying_ to cement this as a romantic moment.”

“Not laughing,” he said, trying to stop his impending chuckle, and cupped Lily’s face in his hands and continued to kiss her until laughs turned to moans and they both ended up more horizontal on the bed, lying on their sides.

It was a few minutes later that James pulled away again. Lily sighed grudgingly at the loss of his mouth. James chuckled, pulling her body closer to his. Lily slowly opened her eyes to look at him. “What?” she asked, eyes hazy.

“How about you?”

Lily looked at him with confusion. “How about me what?”

“I want to know how you feel about me,” he stated simply.

“I’m showing you, aren’t I?” she asked, frustrated, burying her face in his chest.

“Very well, I’d say,” he confirmed, kissing the top of her head. “But it’s a bit unfair that I was forced to speak, but you weren’t. Don’t’ you think?”

“No,” she mumbled.

“C’mon. Give me something.”

Lily moved her fingernails along James’s arm and breathed against him. “I’m sorry, but it didn’t start in grade eight.”

“How dare you.”

“It started…slowly. Last year.” Lily wiggled a bit in James’s arms to get a better look at him. “You grew over the summer. I remember thinking you looked much more handsome than in grade ten. You seemed to have chilled out a bit, too. It intrigued me, and I thought about you every so often in passing. I thought we became legitimate mates by Halloween at Mr. Slughorn’s stupid party when you came dressed as Jon Snow and I came dressed as Ygritte—“

“Yes!” James responded enthusiastically. “That night was bloody fantastic! You looked brill.”

Lily laughed. “I remember being mad that we unintentionally dressed as a couple because, well…to be honest, I knew you fancied me. I mean, obviously, I did, considering you’d asked me out about a dozen times.”

“More like half a dozen,” mumbled James.

“And at this point I was just beginning to tolerate you…You only made one innuendo the whole time though, and since both Mary and Remus were sick and Marlene was putting all her efforts into flirting with Sirius, you and I were basically stuck together, and I actually enjoyed spending time with you.”

James snorted. “Wow, thanks.”

“I know. I was shocked myself,” she said. “And then…we became mates, and it was after you won that second football match, and we were at the party, and Sev tried to… Well, you know. Reconcile. Didn’t go over well. I was a sobbing mess. And you…” she paused, looking into the hazel of James’s eyes. She reached out a hand and stroked his cheek. “You were a good friend. And very respectful. But I remember I had the urge to kiss you so bad after we talked it out and you hugged me… but then you just put your arm around me and brought me back to the party, and you were playing beer pong with Remus, and I just…I felt like such a coward. And then it may have turned from a subconscious fancy to a full blown, er, obsession.”

James had a very serious face on. “So you’re telling me, that you wanted to kiss me…what, nine months ago? And you didn’t?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“If I had kissed you, would you have let me?”

Lily nodded, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Yeah, I mean, I just told you—“

“EVANS,” he shouted, startling Lily.

“WHAT?” she shouted back.

“I wanted to kiss you that night too! Well, not only that night. Many nights before that night. Every night in history. But I didn’t make a move because you were upset and I thought you just thought of us as mates, and…and…”

Lily giggled, pecking his mouth briefly. “You couldn’t have known!”

“I should’ve known,” said James incredulously. “We could have gotten this thing started fucking ages ago!”

“And what exactly is this ‘thing’ we are supposedly starting?” Lily asked, smirking.

“Well, snogging the living daylights out of each other, for one thing,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “And, well, er…”

Ah. The return of Nervous James.

“Spit it out,” she said teasingly. “You’ve asked me before.”

“And you’ve rejected me.” He turned away from her, lying flat on his back.

“Well, try it again. Who knows what will happen?”

James didn’t answer, so Lily sat up.

“James,” she started. “I’ve been _dying_ to see you all summer. I was going _mental_ all day today before the party, because I was so bloody anxious to see you. Mary and Sirius forced me not to RSVP to the event on Facebook just to drive you spare—“

“Wait, what?”

“—and I went with it, because I wanted it to work! Because I was nervous that…well, that maybe you were over me, or met some beautiful goddess in Spain, or—“

“Really?

“Yes. Really.”

Silence. James sat up, grabbing Lily’s hand. “I’m sorry about the Fenwick thing.”

“Good.”

“The Facebook thing worked, those slimy bastards.”

“I know.”

“And I’m sure they were behind the Fenwick thing and having you constantly guarded all night?”

“Yeah.”

“And I’d never get over you. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“But you’ve been with other girls.”

“That was me trying. I failed. Severely.”

“I’m glad you failed.”

“Me too.”

“So ask me.”

“Go out with me? Please?” he asked tenderly.

“Eh, I’ll think about it,” Lily responded, smiling.

James let go of her hand and shoved her. “Get away from me. I hate you.”

“Sorry, I had to! It was a great set up. Of course I’ll go out with you. Of course.”

They both smiled brightly at one another, and then James wrapped her up in a hug. Lily dug her face into the crook of James’s neck, and they held each other tightly. Eventually, James started nudging her with his shoulder, until her face was against his and they were kissing again. It started off gentle and sweet, and then at some point, it became a bit frantic again. Lily was suddenly on her back, and James was hovering over her, kissing her so passionately that Lily felt like her entire body was on fire. And kissing tuned into touching, and touching turned into exploring, and exploring turned into half-nakedness.

A half hour had passed, and Lily’s phone started ringing. She groaned as James removed his mouth from her chest. “You don’t need to answer that, do you?” he said, dazed.

“No, no, go back to what you were doing,” she said, putting a hand through his hair.

He chuckled warmly. “What if it’s your mum?”

“She knows I’m staying with Mary.”

“Are you still?” he asked, resting his head against her chest. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re staying here.”

“Why are you so sure, hm?” she asked, amused. Another tune started to play. “ _Ugh_ , that bloody _phone_ —“

“It’s mine ringing, now,” he sighed, glancing over at the nightstand where his phone lay, which he took out of his pocket and put there during the early part of their activities. “Christ,” he groaned.

“Is it Sirius?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s keep ignoring them,” Lily decided, pulling James’s face to hers.

“I love the way you think,” he smirked before kissing her.

Only ten minutes passed before there was a rather violent bang on the door. “Alright, kids, seven minutes in heaven is up! Time to get out!” they heard Sirius’s voice from the other side of the door.

“It’s my room, you can’t tell me what to do!” James shouted with as much strength as he could, trying not to let his voice waver as Lily’s lips crept along his neck.

“It’s my flat!” he shouted back.

“You two sound like a father and son rowing,” Mary’s voice emerged. “Weirdoes.”

“Shut it.”

“Lily,” Mary called. “Why wouldn’t you answer my calls?”

“They’re busy, obviously,” Sirius drawled. “Just let us in to talk, then we’ll leave you alone.”

“We’re fine in here, thanks!” said James, biting back a laugh as Lily’s hand crept along his side, and her lips danced across his ear.

“Sirius, just use the key.”

“Looks like they leave me no choice,” Sirius sighed dramatically.

“Wait,” whispered Lily. “Did she say—“

Their heads snapped towards the sound of fiddling with the doorknob and a key being pushed into a lock.

“Get under the covers!” urged James quietly, helping her under them quickly so that Sirius wouldn’t see her exposed chest.

“Why don’t you need to get under—“

“Because, everyone’s seen—“

“The end of that sentence better be your chest or—“

The door slammed open, and Sirius and Mary burst through the door just as Lily finished tucking the blanket tightly over herself.

They both stood there, staring at them with wide eyes. James cleared his throat and casually said, “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“Holy _shit,_ Black,” whispered Mary. “Our plan actually WORKED!”

“WE ARE GENIUSES!” Sirius shouted, and they enthusiastically high fived. “They actually shagged!”

“No we didn’t,” Lily told them. “Look! James still has his trousers on. We didn’t!”

Sirius bent down, and when he rose up he was smirking proudly, holding Lily’s purple bralette by its straps. “Oh, really?”

James reached out and grabbed it out of Sirius’s hand, handing it over to Lily, who looked mortified as she hid it under the covers.

Sirius and Mary were having a laugh, high-fiving again. “Oh, this is rich!” Sirius breathed out. “We should start a business, Macdonald.”

“We didn’t shag,” confirmed James. “Yet,” he added.

Lily smacked his shoulder. “And we’re not _going_ to tonight, thank you very much. What kind of girl do you lot think I am?”

“’Tonight’ being the key word,” Mary pointed out, wiggling her eyebrows. “Who’s to say what will happen next month? Next week? Tomorrow morning?

“Get out,” James said, standing up from the bed, pushing them towards the door. “The two of you. Just get the hell out of here, it’s—“

“You’re not even going to thank us?” asked Sirius.

“I’ll thank you for getting the fuck out of here.”

“Wait,” said Mary. “Lil, I mean, er… I was planning on going home in a few minutes. If you’re gonna stay here though, then—“

“No, I’ll be ready in a few. Just give me and James a mo’, yeah?” Lily said.

James looked at Lily, frowning. “Yeah, give us a minute,” he echoed to them.

“That’s all it takes to finish, big boy?” said Sirius, smirking.

“Get the _fuck_ out of here, git,” said James, pushing him out of the room, with Mary following with her arms up.

“This is MY HOUSE, POTT-“

James slammed the door in his face.

He then turned to Lily, frowning again as she sat up and put her bralette back on. “I thought you were staying.”

“You assumed, remember?” Lily said, clasping it shut behind her back. “Where’s my shirt?”

“If you can’t find it, that means you can’t leave, right?”

“I could always steal yours,” she suggested, leaning over and picking his shirt up from the floor.

James couldn’t help but smirk. “I like that idea. How do you think I’d look in yours?” he asked, picking it up from next to his foot. He held it up against his chest. “Fit?”

“Smashing,” Lily agreed, laughing. “Come on. Swap.” She threw his shirt at him, and he sighed as he tossed hers at her.

They put their respective shirts back on, and then James sat back down on the bed, taking Lily’s face in his hands gently. “Stay.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little fast?” she asked.

“Is this because of Sirius and Mary fucking around about us shagging? You know I wasn’t going to pressure you, or even try—“

“No, I know,” she said. “Of course. I just…I mean, as lovely as tonight was, it was all at Sirius’s party,” she laughed quietly. “And I just want to…put my foot on the brakes for a second. Do this whole thing a bit more proper. Also, somewhere we won’t be interrupted,” she smiled, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.

“So let’s go back to my house,” James smirked, kissing her again. “We definitely won’t be interrupted there.”

Lily snorted, rolling her eyes. “One, your parents live there. Two, you know what I mean.”

“I do?”

“Ask me on a date, tosser.”

“Oh,” James said, and then he laughed, letting his hands fall from her face. “Alright, Evans….” He looked at her, thinking for a moment, and Lily adjusted his glasses for him. “You and Me. Tomorrow afternoon. Two o’clock. Fortescue’s for some ice cream. Then back to my house. We can go swimming. Then we’ll shower—together, if you so wish—“

“James—“

“I said if you so wish!” James defended. “And then we’ll change and I’ll take you to out to this amazing restaurant out in the village near my house. How about it?”

Lily smiled, blushing. She knew they had spent the past couple of hours alone together, and just spent the past hour snogging and talking about how much they fancied each other, and even agreed to be together—she was just braless with him for _multiple_ minutes— but the proposal of a real date made her feel a bit jittery, like butterflies were flapping around her stomach a bit too violently.

“Sounds…brilliant,” she said, smiling so widely her cheeks hurt. James returned her smile, even wider if possible, and then kissed her again for a few sweet moments.

Lily reluctantly pulled away, stood up and tucked her shirt in, slipped her shoes on, picked up her bag, and walked towards the door. James stood up as well. “Wait,” he said, walking close to her. “So was that a ‘brilliant’ to the joint shower idea?”

Lily narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “You can’t be stopped, can you?”

“Now that you’ve got me started?” he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “When I’ve been bloody _dying_ to do this—“ he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and slipping his tongue in her mouth briefly, emitting a slight moan from Lily, “—for years? Definitely can’t be stopped now, Evans.” And then he went back to kissing her against the door for another minute, and Lily happily obliged, until she heard Mary complaining from the living room that they were taking too long. Lily sighed, giving him one last kiss, and then smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

He smiled back, dreamily, nodding. “I’ll pick you up.”

“Two o’clock.”

“Mhm.”

They beamed at each other, and then Lily finally opened the door, and led the way out of the room.

Remus was knocked out on the couch with his mouth slightly ajar, and although Mary was just complaining two seconds ago about how long they were taking, her eyes were wide, desperate for answers.

“Well, ladies, thanks for coming,” Sirius said, putting his arms around both of them and walking them towards the door. He kissed Mary on the cheek, and then Lily. “Glad I could be of service to you,” he said to her, smirking smugly. “With the plan and all.”

Lily snorted, shoving him away. “Excuse me, but my own plan was most effective, I would say.”

“But I enabled you,” he reminded her.

She laughed, running a hand through her hair. “I’ll give you that.”

Mary opened the door and started walking out. “Bye, boys! See you next week for the first day of school!”

Lily stopped at the doorframe and looked back at James. She smiled at him. “See you soon.”

James’s face was painted with a lopsided grin. “See you soon,” he echoed.

As she closed the door behind her, she heard Sirius say, “ _Soon_? How soon is soon? What _happened_ in there? Let’s wake up Remus, mate, he’s gonna wanna hear this.”

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled as they walked down the hall and down the step. After a few moments of silence, Mary snapped. “Jesus Christ…What _did_ happen in there, Lil? You really going to leave me hanging like this?”

“Of course not,” Lily reassured her. “I’m just waiting until we get to the tube so we’re not overheard…we don’t need James bragging. Or Sirius, for that matter.”

 


End file.
